Caddies on the Counter
by Grac3
Summary: Sequel to The Nif Ingredient. Gladiolus leaves the party to undertake the Trial of Gilgamesh. But that isn't the only business to which he has to attend, and there's someone else he has to see before he meets with the Marshal. Gladiolus/Sania.


**Spoilers for:** Chapter 7, Party of Three; Episode Gladiolus

 **Disclaimer: Don't own Final Fantasy XV**

* * *

It was still a few hours from sundown when he knocked on the door.

"What in tarnation are you doing here? Where are your friends?"

Gladiolus cleared his throat. "Forgive me for showing up unannounced. I… Uh…"

Sania gave him a warm smile. She stepped aside.

The front door opened into the kitchen, which was furnished with a wooden table with a chair at either end, a bookshelf next to a red door on the left, and all the appliances and cupboards on the right. The floor was wooden and unfurnished. There was a black notebook on the table.

"You're soaked." Sania closed the door behind him.

Gladiolus scratched the back of his neck. "Uh, yeah… It's… raining."

Sania chuckled. "I do have windows, you know." She waved a hand at them, on the wall opposite the front door.

"Oh. Yeah."

Sania put her hands on her hips. "Now, what's up with you?"

Gladiolus blinked. "Uh…"

"You can hardly string two words together, you're turning up at my house all alone, and you look like you're living with a ghost."

Gladiolus looked away.

Sania paused.

"Oh. I see."

Gladiolus grit his teeth.

"I could get you some dry clothes if you want. Pretty sure I have some that'll fit you."

"Uh, no, thank you. I'm used to the rain."

Sania snorted. "Well, I'm not used to my house smelling like wet man. I'll go sort something out for you, just wait right here."

Sania walked through the red door and returned a few moments later.

"I've left some stuff on my bed upstairs. Go get changed and bring your wet clothes down, I'll throw them in the tumble dryer. And how do you like your tea?"

Gladiolus blinked. "Uh… Black, two sugars."

Sania nodded. "You got it. Now, chop chop."

Gladiolus went through the red door. On the other side was a staircase with a locked cupboard underneath it.

Once he ascended the staircase, he was faced with two more open doors: the one to his left led to a bedroom with a double bed and a wardrobe; the one in front of him led to a bathroom with a shower and no bath.

Gladiolus headed for the bedroom. Spread out on top of the bed was a gym shirt of sorts, with a sports brand logo of on the left side of the chest, and a pair of black jeans.

Once he was changed, he gathered up his wet clothes and went back downstairs.

Sania smiled at him when he entered the kitchen.

"Well, now, don't you look handsome?"

She was holding a blue mug of tea. She placed it in front of the chair nearest the red door and threw Gladiolus' wet clothes in the dryer. It filled the kitchen with its gentle hum.

Sania sat in the seat opposite Gladiolus.

"I'm guessing you don't want to talk about it?"

Gladiolus wrapped a hand around his mug and stared into the dark liquid. It was still swirling from where Sania had stirred in the sugar.

"Not really, no."

Sania nodded. "Okay, next question: did you leave your little party to go off on your own?"

Gladiolus tightened his grip. "Yes."

"Why did you come here?"

Gladiolus locked his jaw.

"I… There wasn't anywhere else."

Sania made a noise like the 'incorrect' buzzer on a game show. Gladiolus started at the sound and looked up. Sania was resting her chin on her hands, her fingers intertwined and her elbows on the table.

"You're a strong lad in a land of hunters. You could have gone to Meldacio. Why here? Why me?"

Gladiolus looked away.

"I…" He took a deep breath. "I wanted to be with you."

Sania smiled. "Well, that is flattering. Well, since you don't want to talk about whatever it is that brought you here, how about we talk about something else? I've been doing a lot of research at the Rock of Ravatogh ever since you got me those wyvern wings."

Gladiolus' lips quirked. "Oh, yeah?"

Sania nodded. She flipped through her notebook to a diagram of a wyvern's wings and slid it over to Gladiolus.

"See, I always thought the structure of wyvern wings was like bats' wings. But on closer inspection, they seem to be more like frogs' feet."

Gladiolus peered at the diagram. "That's incredible."

"Oh, I know. I'm working on my paper right now. Should be ready for peer-review in a couple of months."

Gladiolus chuckled. "Well, I'm glad we could help."

"Oh, believe me, you boys have helped me masses with the work you've done for me. Sometimes I think I don't give you enough of a reward."

Gladiolus shook his head. "Those accessories have saved our lives in battle. Don't know what would have happened by now without them."

Sania giggled. "Well, aren't you a charmer?"

She stood from her chair and took back her notebook, then walked over to the dresser.

"Tell me, Gladiolus, have you ever read Dillard's theory on Gigantoads?"

The conversation flowed after that, until the world outside began to dim.

"The sun's going down," Gladiolus said. "I think there's a haven not far from here-"

Sania waved him off. "Nonsense. I wouldn't force you to go off to a haven; it's still raining."

"Well… I guess I could set up my sleeping bag on the floor."

But when Gladiolus turned to Sania again, she was smirking.

"I think you're missing my meaning."

Sania covered the ground between them quickly and kissed him. She wrapped one hand around the back of his neck and placed the other on his thigh. He reached for her hips.

When she pulled away, Gladiolus was red-faced and panting.

"Unless, of course, you don't want to?"

Gladiolus gulped. "I… I do. But, I…" He looked away.

"This isn't your first time, is it?"

Gladiolus blanched. "No! It's just…" He looked up at her. "I don't have any protection with me. I left it all in the Regalia."

Sania smirked. "Well, honey, if that's all you're worried about, I have plenty in my bedside table."

"Oh."

Sania brushed her fingers against the back of his neck. "Are you saying 'yes'?"

Gladiolus nodded. "Yes."

Sania pulled away and wrapped her hand around Gladiolus'. He followed her through the red door and up the stairs and into the bedroom. She closed the door behind them, then turned to him and pulled him down for a long and languid kiss.

Gladiolus sighed into her mouth and pulled her close. He slipped his hands beneath her top to rest on her sides. She reached up to wrap her arms around his neck, and stood on her toes to reach him better.

After a long while, Gladiolus shifted his grip on her, with one hand on her lower back and the other between her shoulder blades. He lifted her off the ground and she wrapped her legs around his waist, and he walked forwards to deposit her on the edge of the bed.

Once she was seated, Gladiolus pulled away and knelt before her. He pulled her socks off, and she giggled.

"Come here." She reached out her hands to him.

He stood again, and tugged the hem of his shirt upwards. He pulled it off, and her gaze fell to his chest.

"Your tattoos are amazing," she said, as she ran her palm up his torso.

He chuckled.

Sania moved back and shimmied up the bed until she was near enough to the pillows to lie back comfortably, but remained sitting.

Gladiolus followed her, climbing onto the bed. She pulled him in for another kiss and ran her hands over his shoulder blades and down his arms. He hummed against her lips.

He reached out for her top, and pulled away from the kiss long enough to pull it over her head before returning. He shifted, pressing his lips to the corner of her mouth, her jaw, her neck…

"Hmm." She curled her hand into his hair and tilted her head back. He braced himself with his hands either side of her hips on the mattress. Her other hand trailed down his side to his bum and pulled him closer.

He continued working as he brought a hand up to undo the button on the top of her jeans. He only pulled away when the zip was down, and his hands were hooked over the top of two layers of material.

Sania lay back against the pillows and lifted her hips off the bed so Gladiolus could pull her jeans off. She wiggled her toes as he climbed back to her and returned her hands to his torso. She trailed her fingers all over his chest and back.

He pressed a kiss to her throat, to her chest, to her breasts, to her stomach, then disappeared passed her legs again. She pressed herself apart, and he kissed her.

Sania gasped. Her fingers threaded into Gladiolus' hair and her head fell back against the pillows. Gladiolus' fingers curled into the sheets.

In a few minutes, Sania fell apart with a soft moan.

She was still panting as Gladiolus kissed his way back up her body and to her lips. He pressed his forehead against hers.

"My turn," Sania gasped.

Sania rolled Gladiolus onto his back and straddled him. She took off her glasses and bent down to kiss his pectorals. Gladiolus sighed, and put his hands on Sania's shoulders.

She shifted her hips, and Gladiolus grunted. She sat up and reached over to her bedside table.

"Let me." Gladiolus sat up.

Sania shimmied down his legs as he worked himself free and put on the condom. She shifted so he could pull his clothes off, then returned, sitting on his knees.

He put his hands on her waist, and trailed them up her sides. He wrapped them around her back, and his fingers fumbled on the clasp of her bra.

"May I?"

Sania nodded, her hands resting on his shoulders, and he undid the hook. She let go of him to discard the article, but returned them soon after.

Gladiolus sighed, and pulled her down for another kiss.

"Are you okay?" she asked him.

"Okay enough."

Sania nodded, and shifted forward. She lowered herself slowly, and began to move.

Gladiolus let out a deep breath and closed his eyes. He placed his hands on her hips, his fingers just reaching around to her buttocks.

She made slow and sensual moves, her hands on his forearms, until she gave another loud moan.

She didn't stop, though, and Gladiolus' breathing deepened.

"Sania…"

"Open your eyes."

Gladiolus did so, and their eyes met. His pupils were dilated, and his expression was one of awe.

His mouth fell open and his grip on her tightened. He let out a long groan, and she slowed her movements to a stop.

His chest heaved with every breath. She ran her hands up his chest, glistening with sweat, and leaned down to kiss him again.

"Can I… Can I stay?"

Sania chuckled. "Of course you can. As long as you need."

~{final-fantasy-xv}~

Gladiolus woke alone. The sun was streaming in through the window, blocked out by the curtains, and the clothes he had arrived in the day before were hung on the handle of the wardrobe at the end of the bed.

Gladiolus grunted and wiped a hand over his face. Sania was nowhere to be seen, and her glasses were missing. He got up, got dressed, went downstairs and through the red door.

Sania was in the dining room, at the seat furthest from the red door, with a mug of tea and a bowl of cereal.

"There you are!" she beamed up at him.

"Morning," he nodded.

"I wasn't sure how long you'd sleep, so I didn't make anything for you. What do you usually have in the mornings?"

"Uh… coffee, please."

Sania nodded. "There's some in the cupboard over there." She pointed over her shoulder at the cupboard over the kettle. "Sugar and whatever are in the caddies on the counter and if you can't work out where the milk is, I don't know how you've survived this long."

Gladiolus nodded in thanks and made for the counter.

"I've got cereal, and that's about it, unless you want lunch for breakfast."

"Sorry about using up your stuff."

Sania shrugged and waved it away. "Oh, I fully expect you'll earn your keep."

Gladiolus chuckled and looked over his shoulder. "Is that right?"

"It is indeed. Have you ever heard of fluxroot?"

Gladiolus sat in the chair opposite Sania with his coffee and his cereal. "Can't say I have."

Sania nodded. "Well, when you've finished, I can show you some. It's a plant exclusive to the Alstor Slough, and incredibly rare. It is, however, excellent for drying out wyvern wings. Unfortunately, I don't have enough for the number of wings you boys brought back for me, so I was hoping you might be able to get me some more?" She looked at him over the top of her glasses and batted her eyelids at him.

Gladiolus nodded. "Sure. I can go after I've eaten."

Sania smiled. "Excellent!"

After they had finished their breakfast, Sania picked her keys up from the counter by the front door and unlocked the cupboard under the stairs. Beyond the door was another set of stairs which led to a basement: a makeshift laboratory.

The walls were covered with shelves of jars of specimens, and the room was full of tables adorned with various pieces of sophisticated equipment.

Sania plucked a stem of plant from one of the shelves and showed it to Gladiolus. It had a long, thin green stem and tiny yellow flowers that were still heavy enough to bend the stem over as Sania held it between her forefinger and thumb.

"This is my last one, and I need to crush it up to use it on the wyvern wing. You think you can find more like this?"

Gladiolus took a moment to study the plant and commit it to memory. "Sure thing. I can get it by sundown."

Sania grinned. "Excellent! It'll be a real help. Just make sure you get back in one piece." She trailed her gaze up and down his chest. "I'm not done with you yet."

~{final-fantasy-xv}~

The Alstor Slough was just as wet and dangerous as Gladiolus remembered it to be. He had had to deal with Sabertusks and Garulas before he even made it to the lake, and he had yet to find any sign of the fluxroot.

He was still walking along the banks of the lake in search of the fluxroot when the low and familiar hum of an Imperial dropship sounded from overhead.

He made to warn Noctis, then bit back the urge. He growled and curled his hand into a fist.

He had no desire to take on an entire dropship's worth of Magitek soldiers, so he hid behind a nearby boulder to wait for them to pass. En masse, the Magitek soldiers jumped from the dropship, but they were not alone.

"There! You see those footprints? I'd know them anywhere!"

The voice belonged to none other than Loqi Tummelt.

"He must be around here somewhere!"

Loqi waved his arms, gesturing for the Magitek soldiers to scout the area.

Gladiolus swore. He hunkered down behind the boulder, hoping that none of the soldiers would notice that he was there.

He readied his broadsword just in case.

Loqi stayed near the dropship, watching the Magitek soldiers as they scoured the Slough. He folded his arms over his chest and tapped his foot against the ground, and his lips were curled in a sneer.

After fifteen minutes, he growled and stamped his foot against the ground. "Useless! He's one man, and you can't even find him! Get back here!"

The Magitek soldiers obeyed and returned to the dropship. As they piled back on board, Loqi reprimanded them with accusations of inadequacy.

The doors of the dropship closed, and it headed back up into the sky.

Gladiolus let out a breath, and stood. He checked the sky for more dropships, but any others were too far away to bother him. He rolled his shoulders and continued his search.

By two o'clock, Gladiolus had walked halfway around the lake, and was met with another familiar, but friendly, face.

"Hey! You one of the friends of that angler?"

"Navyth? Thought you'd moved on by now."

Navyth chuckled. "Oh, you know me. There's better fish in here than the ones I've already caught, so I'm gonna catch 'em. What brings you out here? Thought you weren't as into fishing as your friend?"

Gladiolus shook his head. "I'm not. I'm running an errand. You wouldn't happen to have seen any fluxroot around here, have you?"

"Fluxroot? What's it look like?"

"Long green stem with small yellow flowers."

Navyth scratched his chin. "There's a copse of trees about three hundred yards that way that had some yellow flowers round it. Not sure if it's the one's your looking for."

"Thanks." Gladiolus made to head off.

"Let your friend know about the Vesperpool! Heard it's home to the Liege of the Lake: real royalty. No one's ever pulled that one in."

"Huh. Thanks, I'll let him know."

Navyth waved him off, and Gladiolus went off to continue his search.

When he was about three hundred yards in the direction Navyth had sent him, he spied a group of three trees growling close together and headed for them.

"Well, I'll be damned."

In the very centre of the three trees, where their trunks joined together, were two fluxroot stems with tiny yellow flowers.

"Thanks, Navyth."

~{final-fantasy-xv}~

Sania's eyes were wide when she opened the door to Gladiolus later that day.

"You actually did it. Did you get any trouble on the way?"

She stepped aside to let him in.

"A bit. Some Sabertusks, some Garulas, an Imperial dropship."

Sania gasped. "You didn't take on those Magiteks by yourself, did you?"

"Nah. Didn't think it was worth getting into a tussle with them."

Sania quirked an eyebrow. "You sound like you've been in a tussle with them before."

Gladiolus blanched. "Well…. Uh…"

Sania chuckled. "Oh, Gladiolus. I've been to Insomnia. You think I don't recognise the prince?"

Gladiolus rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, you can never be sure who's going to or not. A lot of people out here have never been to the city. If they know who Noct is, it's because they knew the king."

Sania waved it away. "Hey, I have a radio. I know what happened to that boy. You must be pretty important to be running around with the prince."

Gladiolus straightened himself up and puffed out his chest. "I'm Noctis' Shield."

"Well, that certainly explains a few things." She dragged her eyes over his muscles. Gladiolus blushed and sagged a little.

"We were accompanying Noctis to Altissia to marry Lady Lunafreya as part of the peace treaty. Until that all went to shit."

Sania softened her expression. "And does any of this have anything to do with why you're here and not with your charge?"

Gladiolus looked away. "I… I shouldn't be here."

Sania placed a gentle hand on his arm.

"Gladiolus."

Sania's tone was soft but firm. Gladiolus locked his jaw, closed his eyes, met Sania's gaze.

"Yes?"

Sania lowered her hand. "Why are you here?"

Gladiolus lowered his head. "Because I've abandoned my duties."

"In leaving the prince?"

Gladiolus gave a stiff nod.

"And why did you do that?"

Gladiolus stared at a random point on the floor.

"Because…"

"Because you needed to?"

Gladiolus looked up at Sania. She gave him a small smile.

"Honey, you're hurting. It doesn't take a genius to work that one out. Now, I get you don't wanna talk about it, but don't you dare feel bad about needing this time. How are you supposed to be a proper Shield in this condition?"

Gladiolus grit his teeth. "I… I can't. I know I can't. Noctis… Noctis was threatened by the Imperial High Commander, and I almost failed in protecting him. I'm not a Shield." Gladiolus closed his eyes. "I'm a failure."

Sania sighed. "Now, that's not what I meant to do. Is this what's bothering you? That you almost failed one time?"

"One time is all it takes."

"But you didn't fail. You almost did. That's not the same thing. So don't worry about that. Now, you wanna help me with this fluxroot?"

~{final-fantasy-xv}~

Gladiolus was sitting up with his back against the pillows. He had one hand on Sania's cheek and the other on her waist. Sania moved on top of him.

Their gazes were glued, their mouths were parted, and their breaths were deep.

Gladiolus groaned, closed his eyes, and pulled Sania down for a passionate kiss.

They only parted, barely, their lips still touching, to cry out.

Sania slowed, and they both panted.

Gladiolus wiped his thumb across Sania's cheek. Sania smiled.

Gladiolus pulled Sania close, wrapping his arms around her and resting his chin on her shoulder. He moved her hair out of the way and pressed a kiss to the side of her sweaty neck.

~{final-fantasy-xv}~

Gladiolus crushed the fluxroot with a pestle and mortar while Sania added the ready-made paste to the wyvern wing with a pipette. It was careful work, and neither of them had spoken for a while.

Sania squeezed out the last of the paste onto the wing and rolled her shoulders back. "How's it going?"

Gladiolus took a breath. "It's going. Slow, but going."

Sania nodded and put the pipette down. She peeled the gloves off her hands and put them next to the pipette.

"What was it like going up to the top of the Rock of Ravatogh?"

Gladiolus looked up at her. "How'd you know we went to the top?"

Sania chuckled. "You were gone an awful long time. You either went to the top, or got horribly lost."

Gladiolus huffed. "It was… beautiful. There's a great view from up there."

Sania raised her brow. "Was the view worth the climb?"

Gladiolus shrugged. "The tomb was."

"Tomb?"

Gladiolus nodded. "There's a royal tomb at the summit."

"You needed that for your prince?"

"We did."

"Why? What's inside a royal tomb?"

"A weapon. An ancient Lucian Royal Arm."

Sania blinked. "Sounds important."

Gladiolus nodded. "Yeah, it is. There's still some we've… they've… got to find."

"Hey, you're going back to them at some point. I'm not letting you stay here forever."

"I know. I will go back. I can't be a Shield if I'm not there."

Sania didn't reply.

Gladiolus carried on mashing the fluxroot, until Sania finally spoke.

"How did you find out about them?"

Gladiolus looked up at Sania. "About what?"

"The weapons in the tombs."

Gladiolus looked down again. "From Cor, the Marshal. He told us about the one at Keycatrich Trench, then when we got to Lestallum, Talcott told us about the one at the Glacial Grotto. Cor knew because it was his job, and Talcott… He got it from… Jared."

Gladiolus lapsed into a silence.

Sania paused for a moment. "Who's Jared?"

Gladiolus shook his head. "Not 'is'. 'Was'."

Sania licked her lips. "I'm sorry."

"Not your fault."

"Who was he to you?"

Gladiolus gulped. He took a deep breath.

"In reality, a butler. Just a servant."

"And not in reality?"

Gladiolus sighed. "He was like an uncle to me."

Sania nodded.

"However you're feeling is okay."

"I know."

"Do you?"

Gladiolus looked up at her. "What do you mean?"

"You told me the reason you're here is because you don't feel strong enough to be a Shield. I'm not convinced it's the only reason."

Gladiolus locked his jaw. "I'm fine."

Sania nodded. "Okay."

~{final-fantasy-xv}~

Sania sat on the end of the bed while Gladiolus moved. Her palms were spread across his buttocks while his hands rested on her shoulders.

She leaned forward to kiss his chest, trailing her lips across his tattoo.

He sighed, and dipped his chin to press his face into her hair. He closed his eyes.

"Sania…"

Sania lifted her head to kiss him. She pulled him closer, and he gasped against her lips.

"Gladiolus."

That tipped him over the edge.

He pulled away, discarded the soiled condom, and kissed her again. He kept one hand on her neck while the other trailed downwards, and stayed there until she fell apart.

~{final-fantasy-xv}~

Sania swore.

"What's wrong?"

The wyvern wings they had prepared with the fluxroot paste the day before were laid out on one of the tables in Sania's lab, but they were still rather moist.

"They haven't dried out! I guess we didn't have enough fluxroot paste."

"Ah." Gladiolus rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry I didn't get enough."

Sania waved the comment off. "Don't worry about that. Neither of us knew how much we'd need. But it turns out we definitely need more than we had."

Gladiolus nodded. "I'll be back before sundown."

Sania looked up at him. "You don't have to go again."

Gladiolus smirked. "I've gotta earn my keep somehow."

~{final-fantasy-xv}~

With a better idea of what he was looking for and where he might find it, Gladiolus found another five plants within an hour of reaching the Alstor Slough. He didn't stop with just those, however, and searched for another five fluxroot before even thinking about heading back to Sania.

Yet his dallying had an unfortunate consequence: the Imperial dropships had yet to leave the Alstor Slough alone, and this time there was nowhere for him to hide before the Magitek soldiers descended upon him.

He swore and summoned his broadsword.

The Magitek soldiers landed in front of him, followed by Loqi Tummelt. Loqi's eyes went wide when they landed on Gladiolus.

"You?" he exclaimed.

Gladiolus flexed his hand on the hilt of his broadsword.

"What? You were expecting someone else?"

Loqi locked his jaw.

"Where's the Immortal?" he growled.

Gladiolus shrugged. "Probably still alive. Don't know where, though."

Loqi stamped his foot. "Damn it!" He took a deep breath, fixing Gladiolus with a hateful glare. He pushed passed the Magitek soldiers and brandished a lance. "I guess you'll have to do for now."

Gladiolus raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you wanna do this?" he taunted.

Loqi smirked. "And if I do?"

Gladiolus shrugged one shoulder. "Well, you saw how well that went down last time."

Loqi growled. He angled his weapon and charged at Gladiolus.

Gladiolus parried the first blow and sent Loqi sprawling on his back, some ten feet away. Loqi had recovered by time Gladiolus made his way over to where he had fallen, and was jabbing his lance in his direction.

Gladiolus dodged every attack. Unfortunately, Loqi dodged his next swing as well.

Loqi side-stepped around him, and brought the lance around in an arc. Gladiolus made to dodge, but the sharp edge grazed his left side and cut him deep.

He yelled in pain and wheeled around on his heels to face Loqi. He brought his broadsword up over his head and then swung it downwards.

He caught Loqi on the shoulder, and he fell to his knees. With blood flowing from his shoulder, Loqi switched his lance from his left hand to his right, and used the time it took Gladiolus to recover from his swing to plunge it forward into Gladiolus' wound.

Gladiolus croaked. His broadsword slipped from his grip and then into the ether in a flicker of blue light.

Loqi wrenched the lance from his body, and Gladiolus dropped to his knees and clutched at his side. Loqi called for the Magitek soldiers to take him back to the ship. Gladiolus could only watch, powerless, as the dropship took Loqi off.

~{final-fantasy-xv}~

"What the-?"

Gladiolus leaned against Sania's doorframe, his hand still clutching at the wound in his side.

"Ran into those Imperial bastards. Things got ugly."

Sania pursed her lips and wrapped a hand around his arm to draw him into the kitchen. She closed the front door and reached into one of the cupboards: it was stocked with curatives. She pulled out a potion and handed it to Gladiolus.

"It'll still scar, but this should stop the bleeding."

Gladiolus grunted and crushed the vial in his free hand.

"Thanks."

"Now sit down." Sania made to make a cup of tea. "This isn't the kind of trouble I thought you'd be getting into."

Gladiolus chuckled. "Believe me, I thought the same thing when we left Insomnia. I got the fluxroot, though." He put the ten flowers on the table.

"Thank you."

Sania placed the mug of tea in front of him. Then she wetted a cloth and knelt by his side, taking his bloodied hand in her own and cleaning it.

"What happened?"

Gladiolus shifted. "Some asshole we've dealt with before is looking for Cor. He found me first."

Sania hummed. "Did you win?"

Gladiolus exhaled. "He won't be bothering anyone soon, but he's still alive."

Sania looked up at him. "Would you rather have killed him?"

Gladiolus met her eyes. "I… No. We may be at war with the Nifs, but that doesn't mean they all have to die. That was the point of the peace treaty, after all. If we go in for full-scale slaughter, then we're no better than them."

Sania raised an eyebrow. "He was clearly trying to kill you."

"Oh, I didn't say I wasn't trying to kill him. But I'm not sad that it didn't have to come to that."

~{final-fantasy-xv}~

With her hands pressed against the wall behind the bed, Sania swung her leg back over Gladiolus' shoulders and shimmied down so she was lying next to him.

He wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand.

Sania pulled him in for a kiss. Without pulling away, she drew her hand down his chest. She trailed her fingers over his latest scar, and kept going.

He gasped against her lips and their gazes locked as she worked, until he gave a contented sigh.

~{final-fantasy-xv}~

Gladiolus crept out of bed before Sania woke the next morning. Sania came out of the house half an hour after he had left, and leaned against the doorframe with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Gladiolus."

Gladiolus panted. His broadsword hung in his grip as another tree fell to the ground.

"Yeah?"

Sania sighed. "What are you doing?"

Gladiolus grit his teeth. He wiped the back of his hand across his forehead and banished his broadsword.

"I'm angry."

"Clearly. What about?"

Gladiolus looked away.

"Jared. My dad."

A pause.

"What happened to them?"

Gladiolus growled and looked up at Sania. Their eyes locked.

"Niflheim."

Sania nodded and pushed herself off the doorframe. "I see."

Gladiolus curled his hand into a fist. "Do you?"

"I understand what's made you upset." Sania walked towards him. "Not gonna pretend to know exactly how you're feeling, but now I know where it's coming from. You've lost people."

Gladiolus let out a controlled breath through his nostrils.

"We all lost people. I lost people, Iggy lost people. Noct wasn't the only one who lost his family when Insomnia fell."

"Is that his fault?"

"That's not the point."

"Are you angry at Noctis?"

"I… No."

"Then who are you angry at?"

"I don't know!" Gladiolus summoned his broadsword again and, in one fell swoop, hacked another tree down.

"I just… I just…"

"You're mourning. It's okay. Take as much time as you need. I'll be inside when you're ready."

Sania turned and walked back into the house. She closed the door behind her.

Gladiolus stood there for a moment, his hands balled into fists and his chest heaving with every breath.

Ten more trees fell before he went back inside.

~{final-fantasy-xv}~

Gladiolus' breath was slow, controlled, and measured as he moved, and so was Sania's beneath him. He was resting on his elbows, his hands either side of Sania's head, their noses brushing with each movement.

He grunted and slowed to a halt.

He opened his eyes, meeting Sania's. Sania reached up; she rested one hand on his shoulder and the other on the back of his neck.

Gladiolus sighed. "I could so easily fall in love with you."

Sania gave him a sad smile. "Is that what you want?"

Gladiolus licked his lips, shook his head. "No."

Sania nodded. "Good. I don't want that either."

She pulled him down for a kiss.

~{final-fantasy-xv}~

Sania shone an ultraviolet light on the wyvern wings.

"Can you see anything new?"

Sania gaped and nodded. "They're soft enough to see the whole vein pattern. Look." She handed a pair of goggles to Gladiolus, and he perched them on his nose. He peered down at the wyvern wings.

"Is that… Is their blood yellow?"

Sania nodded. "When it's still in the veins, before it's been exposed to oxygen." She looked up at Gladiolus. "I think we just made a new discovery."

Gladiolus chuckled. "You made a new discovery."

"Hey, you're getting an acknowledgement, whether you want one or not."

~{final-fantasy-xv}~

Gladiolus held Sania's hand. Their elbows were resting upon the bed as he intertwined their fingers.

Sania hummed.

"I'm gonna miss this."

Gladiolus turned to Sania. "Who said I'm leaving?"

Sania gave him a sad smile. She squeezed his hand. "This does."

Gladiolus said nothing at first, merely staring into her eyes. Then he sighed and looked away.

"Yeah… I can't stay."

"Well, we both knew that from the beginning, honey. The question is, when are you leaving?"

Gladiolus licked his lips. "I… I don't know."

"Your prince needs you."

Gladiolus shook his head. "Not like this."

"What do you mean?"

Gladiolus paused. "I'll leave tomorrow. But I can't go back to Noct. Not straight away. There's something else I need to do first."

Sania pulled their hands closer to her, resting the back of his hand on her bare stomach. Gladiolus dropped his cheek onto the pillow.

"Well, in that case, we should say goodbye properly." She smirked, and leaned forward.

~{final-fantasy-xv}~

Gladiolus left after breakfast the next morning. He took two steps out of the house before Sania closed the door behind him.

Gladiolus rolled his shoulders, then fished his phone out of his pocket.

"Marshal. You around Duscae? I need a favour."


End file.
